Sermon Tone Analysis

! Olivet Discourse- Matthew 24

The famous Olivet Discourse of our Messiah occurred between two significant events.

Immediately preceding the Olivet Discourse, the Messiah spoke the final words of His public ministry found in Matthew 23:1–39, which contain the denunciation of the leadership, especially for their guilt in leading the nation to reject the Messiahship of Jesus.

With these words, the public ministry of the Messiah as a Prophet came to an end.

Immediately after the Olivet Discourse came the preparation of the last Passover and the first Lord’s Supper.

These events came just before His death.

During the last Passover and the first Lord’s Supper, the famous Upper Room Discourse (John 13-17).

It was in John 14 that Jesus spoke of his preparation of a “place” and his subsequent return for his Bride.

Matthew 24 deals with the time of the Tribulation; the seven year period that precedes the second coming of Christ.

The position of this study is that the Rapture of the Church is spoken of in John 14 and that the Olivet Discourse primarily deals with the events that take place on the earth prior to the second coming.

The Dispensational understanding of End-Time chronology is that the second coming of Christ is comprised of two events: the Rapture and the Revelation.

Technically, Jesus does not return to the earth at the Rapture and Christ’s words in John 14 closely resemble the ancient Betrothal and Wedding practices of the Jews.

He first comes “for” his Bride and then returns “with” his Bride.

Two major reasons for this time known as the Tribulation.

/A.

To Punish The Gentile Nations - Rom. 1:18; 2 Thes.

2:12-13; Rev. 19:15.

During the Tribulation Period, God will visit wicked humanity with the fruits of their sin: divine judgment!/

/B.

To Purge The People Of Israel - Eze. 20:37-38; Zech.

13:8-9; Mal.

3:3.

The Nation of Israel is guilty of rejecting the Messiah and of having a part in His death.

However, God will use the terrors of the Tribulation to prepare Israel for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus returns to the earth in power and glory, He will be met by a believing remnant of the Jewish people./

I. vs. 1-2 THE TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM DESTROYED (Matt 24:1-2; Luke 21:20-24)

II. vs. 3 THE THREE QUESTIONS OF THE DISCIPLES (Matt 24:3)

III. vs. 4-6 THE SIGNS OF THE CHURCH AGE ARE DECLARED (Matt 24:4-6)

IV. vs. 7-8 THE BIRTH PAINS OF THE TRIBULATION ARE DEFINED (Matt 24:7-8)

V. vs. 9-14 THE FIRST HALF OF THE TRIBULATION DELINIATED (Matt 24:9-14)

VI. vs. 15-26 THE GREAT TRIBULATION DESCRIBED (Matt 24:15-26)

VII. vs. 27-31 THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST DISCLOSED (Matt 24:27-31)

!!! I. vs. 1-2 THE TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM DESTROYED (Matt 24:1-2)

Q#1.

“Tell us, when shall these things be?”

These things refer to the destruction of the Temple that He had prophesied in the previous two verses.

When will the Temple be destroyed, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?

Matthew does not record Jesus’ answer to the first Question, “when shall these things be?” Luke records his answer and as a result NO believing Jew died in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

" “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.

Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.

For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations.

And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

(Luke 21:20-24, NKJV).

I. vs. 1-2 THE TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM DESTROYED (Matt 24:1-2)

!

II. vs. 3 THE THREE QUESTIONS OF THE DISCIPLES (Matt 24:3)

Altogether, three questions were asked which, at the same time, included requests for three signs.

Q#1.

“Tell us, when shall these things be?”

These things refer to the destruction of the Temple that He had prophesied in the previous two verses.

When will the Temple be destroyed, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?

Q#2.

“What shall be the sign of your coming?” “What shall be the sign of your coming?”

This question does not concern the Rapture of the Church because the Rapture is imminent and can happen at any moment, having no warning sign preceding it.

However, the Second Coming will be preceded by a sign, and the disciples asked what the sign would be.

Q#3.

“What shall be the sign of the end of the world?”

The Greek word translated world actually means “age.”

In rabbinic theology of that day, the rabbis spoke of two ages: “this age,” meaning the age in which we now live, and “the age to come,” meaning the Messianic Age.

So the question is, “What is the sign that the last days of this age have begun and will lead to the Messianic Age?”

I. vs. 1-2 THE TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM DESTROYED (Matt 24:1-2; Luke 21:20-24)

II. vs. 3 THE THREE QUESTIONS OF THE DISCIPLES (Matt 24:3)

!

III. vs. 4-6 THE SIGNS OF THE CHURCH AGE ARE DECLARED (Matt 24:4-6; Mark

13:6–7; and Luke 21:8–9.)

A. Spiritual Deception “false Messiah’s” The first general characteristic would be the rise of false messiahs.

Historically, Jesus was the first Person who claimed to be the Messiah.

After Him, many came claiming to be the messiah, even Gentiles.

B. Local Devastation “wars and rumors of wars” (Local Wars) The second general characteristic of the Church Age would be local wars.

Jesus stated that when they heard of wars and rumors of wars, these things also would not be signs of the end.

The existence of local wars here and there would in no way indicate that the end had begun.

Even if such local wars take place in the Middle East, it is not necessarily prophetically significant.

“for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

(Matt.

24:6b)

“for these things must needs come to pass first; but the end is not immediately” (Lk.

21:9).

I. vs. 1-2 THE TEMPLE AND JERUSALEM DESTROYED (Matt 24:1-2; Luke 21:20-24)

II. vs. 3 THE THREE QUESTIONS OF THE DISCIPLES (Matt 24:3)

III. vs. 4-6 THE SIGNS OF THE CHURCH AGE ARE DECLARED (Matt 24:4-6; Mark 13:6–7; and Luke 21:8–9.)

!

IV. vs. 7-8 THE ‘BIRTH PAINS’ OF THE TRIBULATION ARE DEFINED (Matt 24:7-8)

"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

"All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

(Matthew 24:7-8, NKJV).

The prophets pictured the last days as a series of birth pangs before the birth of the new Messianic Age.

The phrase “birth pains” had its origin in Old Testament passages that describe the period of distress preceding the messianic age, namely the Tribulation (Isa.

13:8; 26:17; Jer.

4:31; 6:24; Mic.

4:9–10; cf. 1 Thess.

5:3).

The “birth pangs” Jesus spoke about here will be a period seven years long immediately before Messiah returns to establish His kingdom, sometimes called “Daniel’s seventieth week” (Dan.

9:26–27).

The beginning of “birth pangs” is the beginning of this Tribulation.

Pentecost, Thy Kingdom

. .

., pp.

250–52; and Bailey, The New . .

., pp.

49–50, believed verses 4–8 describe the first half of the

Tribulation and verses 9–14 the last half.

A. Destitution (Famine) Gk. limos ( λιμός ) – hunger, destitution, as scarcity of food or failure of grain harvests.

B. Disease (Pestilences) Gk. loimos ( λοιμός ) – plague, Metaphorically used of a malignant and mischievous person, a pest.

From (λείπω ) leipo to leave, leave behind, forsake, to be left behind, to lag, be inferior, to be destitute of, to lack, to be wanting, to fail.